A just detectable amount:
— He speaks French with a trace of an accent.

synonyms: hint, suggestion, tint.

Roget 550: indication; symbolism, symbolization; semiology, semiotics, semeiology^†, semeiotics^†; Zeitgeist.    [means of recognition: property] characteristic, diagnostic; lineament, feature, trait; fingerprint, voiceprint, footprint, noseprint [for animals]; cloven hoof; footfall; recognition (memory) 505.    [means of recognition: tool] diagnostic, divining rod; detector.    sign, symbol; index, indice^†, indicator; point, pointer; exponent, note, token, symptom; dollar sign, dollar mark.    type, figure, emblem, cipher, device; representation etc. 554; epigraph, motto, posy.    gesture, gesticulation; pantomime; wink, glance, leer; nod, shrug, beck; touch, nudge; dactylology^†, dactylonomy^†; freemasonry, telegraphy, chirology [Med.], byplay, dumb show; cue; hint etc. 527; clue, clew, key, scent.    signal, signal post; rocket, blue light; watch fire, watch tower; telegraph, semaphore, flagstaff; cresset^†, fiery cross; calumet; heliograph; guidon; headlight.    [sign (evidence) on physobj of contact with another physobj] mark, scratch, line, stroke, dash, score, stripe, streak, tick, dot, point, notch, nick.    print; imprint, impress, impression.    [symbols accompanying written text to signify modified interpretation] keyboard symbols, printing symbols; [Symbols for emphasis], red letter, italics, sublineation^†, underlining, bold font; jotting; note, annotation, reference; blaze, cedilla, guillemets^†, hachure [Topo.]; [Special Characters list], quotation marks, "; double quotes, " "; parentheses, "( )"; brackets, "[ ]"; braces, "{ }", curly brackets; arrows, slashes; left parenthesis, "("; right parenthesis, ")"; opening bracket, "["; closing bracket, "]"; left curly brace, "{"; right curly brace, "}"; left arrow, ""; forward slash, "/"; backward slash, "\\"; exclamation point, "!"; commercial at, "@"; pound sign, "#"; percent sign, "%"; carat, "^"; ampersand, "&"; asterisk, "*"; hyphen, "-"; dash, "-", "_"; em dash, "--"; plus sign, "+"; equals sign, "="; question mark, "?"; period, "."; semicolon, ";"; colon, ":"; comma, ","; apostrophe, "'"; single quote, "'"; tilde, "~". [For identification: general] badge, criterion; countercheck^†, countermark^†, countersign, counterfoil; duplicate, tally; label, ticket, billet, letter, counter, check, chip, chop; dib^†; totem; tessera^†, card, bill; witness, voucher; stamp; cacher [Fr.]; trade mark, Hall mark.    [For identification of people, on a document] signature, mark, autograph, autography; attestation; hand, hand writing, sign manual; cipher; seal, sigil [Lat.], signet, hand and seal [Law]; paraph^†, brand; superscription; indorsement^†, endorsement.    [For identification of people, to gain access to restricted (locations or information)] password, watchword, catchword; security card, pass, passkey; credentials etc. (evidence) 467; open sesame; timbrology^†; mot de passe [Fr.], mot du guet [Fr.]; pass-parole; shibboleth.    title, heading, docket.    address card, visiting card; carte de visite [Fr.].    insignia; banner, banneret^†, bannerol^†; bandrol^†; flag, colors, streamer, standard, eagle, labarum^†, oriflamb^†, oriflamme; figurehead; ensign; pennon, pennant, pendant; burgee^†, blue Peter, jack, ancient, gonfalon, union jack; banderole, old glory [U.S.], quarantine flag; vexillum^†; yellow-flag, yellow jack; tricolor, stars and stripes; bunting.    heraldry, crest; coat of arms, arms; armorial bearings, hatchment^†; escutcheon, scutcheon; shield, supporters; livery, uniform; cockade, epaulet, chevron; garland, love knot, favor.    [Of locality] beacon, cairn, post, staff, flagstaff, hand, pointer, vane, cock, weathercock; guidepost, handpost^†, fingerpost^†, directing post, signpost; pillars of Hercules, pharos; bale-fire, beacon-fire; l'etoile du Nord [Fr.]; landmark, seamark; lighthouse, balize^†; polestar, loadstar^†, lodestar; cynosure, guide; address, direction, name; sign, signboard.    [Of the future] warning etc. 668; omen etc. 512; prefigurement etc. 511.    [Of the past] trace, record &c., 551.    [Of danger] warning etc. 668, alarm etc. 669.    [of authority]. scepter etc. 747.    [of triumph]. trophy etc. 733.    [of quantity]. gauge etc. 466.    [Of Distance] milestone, milepost.    [Of disgrace], brand, fool's cap.    [For detection], check, telltale; test etc. (experiment) 463; mileage ticket; milliary^†.    notification etc. (information) 527; advertisement etc. (publication) 531.    word of command, call; bugle call, trumpet call; bell, alarum, cry; battle cry, rallying cry; angelus^†; reveille; sacring bell^†, sanctus bell [Lat.].    exposition etc. (explanation) 522, proof etc. (evidence) 463; pattern etc. (prototype) 22.    ... show more

Dutch: spoor

An indication that something has been present:
— There wasn't a trace of evidence for the claim.

synonyms: shadow, tincture, vestige.

Roget 551: trace, vestige, relic, remains; scar, cicatrix; footstep, footmark^†, footprint; pug; track mark, wake, trail, scent, piste^†.    monument, hatchment^†, slab, tablet, trophy, achievement; obelisk, pillar, column, monolith; memorial; memento etc. (memory) 505; testimonial, medal; commemoration etc. (celebration) 883.    record, note, minute; register, registry; roll etc. (list) 86; cartulary, diptych, Domesday book; catalogue raisonne [Fr.]; entry, memorandum, indorsement^†, inscription, copy, duplicate, docket; notch etc. (mark) 550; muniment^†, deed etc. (security) 771; document; deposition, proces verbal [Fr.]; affidavit; certificate etc. (evidence) 467.    notebook, memorandum book, memo book, pocketbook, commonplace book; portfolio; pigeonholes, excerpta^†, adversaria [Lat.], jottings, dottings^†.    gazette, gazetteer; newspaper, daily, magazine; almanac, almanack^†; calendar, ephemeris, diary, log, journal, daybook, ledger; cashbook^†, petty cashbook^†; professional journal, scientific literature, the literature, primary literature, secondary literature, article, review article.    archive, scroll, state paper, return, blue book; statistics etc. 86; compte rendu [Fr.]; Acts of, Transactions of, Proceedings of; Hansard's Debates; chronicle, annals, legend; history, biography etc. 594; Congressional Records.    registration; registry; enrollment, inrollment^†; tabulation; entry, booking; signature etc. (identification) 550; recorder etc. 553; journalism.    [analog recording media] recording, tape recording, videotape.    [digital recording media] compact disk; floppy disk, diskette; hard disk, Winchester disk; read-only memory, ROM; write once read mostly memory, WORM.    ... show more

Roget 32: smallness etc. adj.; littleness etc. (small size) 193; tenuity; paucity; fewness etc. (small number) 103; meanness, insignificance (unimportance) 643; mediocrity, moderation.    small quantity, modicum, trace, hint, minimum; vanishing point; material point, atom, particle, molecule, corpuscle, point, speck, dot, mote, jot, iota, ace; minutiae, details; look, thought, idea, soupcon, dab, dight^†, whit, tittle, shade, shadow; spark, scintilla, gleam; touch, cast; grain, scruple, granule, globule, minim, sup, sip, sop, spice, drop, droplet, sprinkling, dash, morceau^†, screed, smack, tinge, tincture; inch, patch, scantling, tatter, cantlet^†, flitter, gobbet^†, mite, bit, morsel, crumb, seed, fritter, shive^†; snip, snippet; snick^†, snack, snatch, slip, scrag^†; chip, chipping; shiver, sliver, driblet, clipping, paring, shaving, hair.    nutshell; thimbleful, spoonful, handful, capful, mouthful; fragment; fraction etc. (part) 51; drop in the ocean.    animalcule etc. 193.    trifle etc. (unimportant thing) 643; mere nothing, next to nothing; hardly anything; just enough to swear by; the shadow of a shade.    finiteness, finite quantity.    ... show more

Dutch: teken, spoor, overblijfsel

A suggestion of some quality.

synonyms: ghost, touch.

Dutch: zweem

A drawing created by superimposing a semitransparent sheet of paper on the original image and copying on it the lines of the original image.

synonym: tracing.

Either of two lines that connect a horse's harness to a wagon or other vehicle or to a whiffletree.

Polish: postronek

A visible mark (as a footprint) left by the passage of person or animal or vehicle.

Dutch: sporen, nazoeken, opsporen
Polish: trop

Follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something:
— Trace the student's progress.
— Trace one's ancestry.

synonym: follow.

Roget 480a: discover, find, determine, evolve, learn etc. 539; fix upon; pick up; find out, trace out, make out, hunt out, fish out, worm out, ferret out, root out; fathom; bring out, draw out; educe, elicit, bring to light; dig out, grub up, fish up; unearth, disinter.    solve, resolve, elucidate; unriddle, unravel, unlock, crack, crack open; pick up, open the lock; find a clue, find clew a to, find the key to the riddle; interpret etc. 522; disclose etc. 529.    trace, get at; hit it, have it; lay one's finger, lay one's hands upon; spot; get at the truth, arrive at the truth etc. 494; put the saddle on the right horse, hit the right nail on the head.    be near the truth, be warm, get warmer, burn; smoke, scent, sniff, catch a whiff of, smell a rat.    open the eyes to; see through, see daylight, see in its true colors, see the cloven foot; detect; catch, catch tripping.    pitch upon, fall upon, light upon, hit upon, stumble upon, pop upon; come across, come onto; meet with, meet up with, fall in with.    recognize, realize; verify, make certain of, identify.    ... show more

Roget 550: indicate; be the sign etc. n.. of; denote, betoken; argue, testify etc. (evidence) 467; bear the impress etc. n.. of; connote, connotate^†.    represent, stand for; typify etc. (prefigure) 511; symbolize.    put an indication, put a mark etc. n.; note, mark, stamp, earmark; blaze; label, ticket, docket; dot, spot, score, dash, trace, chalk; print; imprint, impress; engrave, stereotype.    make a sign etc. n.. signalize; underscore; give a signal, hang out a signal; beckon; nod; wink, glance, leer, nudge, shrug, tip the wink; gesticulate; raise the finger, hold up the finger, raise the hand, hold up the hand; saw the air, suit the action to the word" [Hamlet]. wave a banner, unfurl a banner, hoist a banner, hang out a banner etc. n.; wave the hand, wave a kerchief; give the cue etc. (inform) 527; show one's colors; give an alarm, sound an alarm; beat the drum, sound the trumpets, raise a cry.    sign, seal, attest etc. (evidence) 467; underline etc. (give importance to) 642; call attention to etc. (attention) 457; give notice etc. (inform) 527.    ... show more

Make a mark or lines on a surface:
— Trace the outline of a figure in the sand.

synonyms: delineate, describe, draw, line.

Roget 554: represent, delineate; depict, depicture^†; portray; take a likeness, catch a likeness etc. n.; hit off, photograph, daguerreotype; snapshot; figure, shadow forth, shadow out; adumbrate; body forth; describe etc. 594; trace, copy; mold.    dress up; illustrate, symbolize.    paint etc. 556; carve etc. 557; engrave etc. 558.    personate, personify; impersonate; assume a character; pose as; act; play etc. (drama) 599; mimic etc. (imitate) 19; hold the mirror up to nature.    ... show more

Dutch: tekenen

To go back over again:
— We retraced the route we took last summer.
— Trace your path.

synonym: retrace.

Pursue or chase relentlessly:
— The hunters traced the deer into the woods.

synonyms: hound, hunt.

Roget 461: make inquiry etc. n.; inquire, ask, seek, search.    look for, look about for, look out for; scan, reconnoiter, explore, sound, rummage, ransack, pry, peer, look round; look over, go over, look through, go through; spy, overhaul.    [object is a topic] ask about, inquire about.    scratch the head, slap the forehead.    look into every hole and corner, peer into every hole and corner, pry into every hole and corner; nose; trace up; search out, hunt down, hunt out, fish out, ferret out; unearth; leave no stone unturned.    seek a clue, seek a clew; hunt, track, trail, mouse, dodge, trace; follow the trail, follow the scent; pursue etc. 662; beat up one's quarters; fish for; feel for etc. (experiment) 463.    investigate; take up an inquiry, institute an inquiry, pursue an inquiry, follow up an inquiry, conduct an inquiry, carry on an inquiry, carry out an inquiry, prosecute an inquiry etc. n.; look at, look into; preexamine; discuss, canvass, agitate.    [inquire into a topic] examine, study, consider, calculate; dip into, dive into, delve into, go deep into; make sure of, probe, sound, fathom; probe to the bottom, probe to the quick; scrutinize, analyze, anatomize, dissect, parse, resolve, sift, winnow; view in all its phases, try in all its phases; thresh out.    bring in question, bring into question, subject to examination; put to the proof etc. (experiment) 463; audit, tax, pass in review; take into consideration etc. (think over) 451; take counsel etc. 695.    question, demand; put the question, pop the question, propose the question, propound the question, moot the question, start the question, raise the question, stir the question, suggest the question, put forth the question, ventilate the question, grapple with the question, go into a question.    [human object], question, put to the question, interrogate, pump; subject to interrogation, subject to examination; cross-question, cross-examine; press for an answer; give the third degree; put to the inquisition; dodge^†.    catechize.    require an answer; pick the brains of, suck the brains of; feel the pulse.    get the lay of the land; see how the wind is blowing; put one's ear to the ground.    be in question etc. adj.; undergo examination.    ... show more

Dutch: drijven, jagen

Discover traces of.

Make one's course or travel along a path; travel or pass over, around, or along.

Copy by following the lines of the original drawing on a transparent sheet placed upon it; make a tracing of.

Read with difficulty:
— The archeologist traced the hieroglyphs.

synonym: decipher.

Dutch: ontcijferen